Great Mommy-and-Me Style Doesn’t Have to Come With a Huge Price Tag

While most of the obsession with mommy-and-me style can be traced back to the luxe designer looks worn by Kim Kardashian West and daughter North, what about getups for more relatable lives? You’re in luck: There’s a slew of style inspiration out there for moms who are less into Balmain babies than Bugaboos. Take Vogue.com’s Executive Fashion Editor, Jorden Bickham, whose cherubic son Max wears everything from oversize tie-dye T-shirts to Matisse-printed leggings for his life as a New York City kid. “Max’s look is a mash-up of happy accidents and compromise, pajamas for day if he prefers, pink light-up Crocs, and washing his favorite shirt every night so he can wear it every day,” says Bickham, in an ethos shared by creativity-encouraging parents everywhere. “The fun is not in dressing him, it’s in watching him dress himself.” Photographer Elizabeth De La Piedra dresses her son in camouflage overalls and Thrasher tees, while jewelry designer Kristen Noel Crawley puts her little one in shirts courtesy of A Bathing Ape and Fear of God.

For her part, Jodie Patterson, an activist and the founder of two beauty companies (Doobop.com and GeorgiaNY.com), recognizes the power of prints, dressing her kin for a trip to the White House in too-cool sweaters. Brett Ramey and Dôen collective member Margaret Kleveland give the boho look a go with their son, accessorizing their laid-back ensembles with a VW bus. And as any style-aware shopper knows, footwear is key to making a look: Photographer Kathy Lo sports shiny Acne Studios sandals to the playground, while her toddler wears fringed boots. And sometimes, the littlest of complements make for a big look: Stylist and hat designer Anda Gentile makes a case for the matching topper on herself and her son, for double the cuteness.

Here, see the most fashionable moms with alternative mommy-and-me style to follow on Instagram.